This invention relates to an apparatus for bending an elongated piece, such as a rod or a bar, and particularly to an apparatus for successively bending and twisting such an elongated piece in directions perpendicular to and about the longitudinal axis of the piece.
The piece, i.e., the elongated member to be bent, referred to hereinafter is a decorative molding which is applied to the outer side faces of a vehicle body of an automobile to protect the body from the formation of undesirable scratches which would otherwise appear on the body, for example when the automobile accidentally comes into contact with another automobile. However,in this invention, the piece is not limited to such a decorative molding, and the invention is applicable to any kind of long or elongated products.
It is necessary to bent and twist the decorative molding so as to have curved configurations corresponding to the curved outer side faces of an automobile body to which the decorative moldings are to be applied, so that the moldings can be closely adhered to the side faces of the automobile body. Usually, the decorative molding is bent in horizontal and vertical directions which are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the molding. In addition, the molding is usually twisted about the longitudinal axis thereof.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for successively bending twisting an elongated piece in horizontal and vertical directions perpendicular to and about the longitudinal axis of the piece.